<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0508</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>4</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2025-05-12</periodOfReport>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0001000697</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>WATERS CORP /DE/</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>WAT</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001773089</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>Chaubal Amol</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>34 MAPLE STREET</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>MILFORD</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>MA</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>01757</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isOfficer>1</isOfficer>
            <officerTitle>SVP &amp; Chief Financial Officer</officerTitle>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <aff10b5One>0</aff10b5One>

    <nonDerivativeTable>
        <nonDerivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2025-05-12</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>F</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionTimeliness></transactionTimeliness>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>239</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <value>366.67</value>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>D</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>5224.393</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F2"/>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
    </nonDerivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">Represents shares of common stock withheld by the Issuer to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting and settlement of previously reported restricted stock units.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">Includes 27.0112 shares of common stock acquired on June 28, 2024 and 67.8868 shares of common stock acquired on March 31, 2025, in each case pursuant to the Waters Corporation 2009 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the &quot;ESPP&quot;), in transactions that were exempt pursuant to Rule 16b-3(c).</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <remarks>The shares of common stock purchased by the Reporting Person on June 28, 2024, pursuant to the ESPP, in a transaction that was exempt pursuant to Rule 16b-3(c), were inadvertently omitted from the shares reported in Column 5 of Table I of the Forms 4 filed on behalf of the Reporting Person on February 7, 2025 and March 4, 2025.  This Form 4 corrects such omission.</remarks>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>/s/ Michael Lynn, attorney-in-fact for Amol Chaubal</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2025-05-14</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
